Amid the more publicized concerns about fire danger and possible charter violations, another fear about the USA Pro Cycling Challenge has been quietly rising among Boulder cycling enthusiasts -- that race organizers will skip the city in future years.

"If they don't come back next year, I hope it's not because of how a small minority of citizens behaved," said Stephen Sparn, a Boulder architect and avid cyclist. "The majority of the citizens are really looking forward to this and really excited."

It's a worry shared by many race backers in a city that was deeply disappointed not to get a stage of the elite cycling race last year.

"I am concerned," said Boulder Councilman Ken Wilson, a strong supporter of the race. "I think we've been difficult. I'd hate for the organizers to get the impression that most of the city isn't tremendously excited."

Wilson said he hopes the notion that Boulder doesn't want the race is just "perception." He thinks the city staff has worked well with race organizers, though the city has insisted on some restrictions, including limiting the number of spectators on Flagstaff Mountain to 30,000 and asking race organizers to develop an alternative route in case fire danger is high in late August.

For their part, race officials said it is too early to say whether the Cycling Challenge will return to Boulder next year, but the city has been a good partner.

"The city of Boulder has been great to work with," said USA Pro Challenge CEO Shawn Hunter in an email. "We have been working with the local organizing committee to plan Stage 6 of the 2012 race for quite some time now, and we are all really excited to bring the race to a city that has such a deep history in cycling."

Hunter said the race route this year is different than last year, and he can't say what route the race will take next year.

"That's always the toughest question," he said. "At this point, it's a little early to say. As you can see from the changes this year, we try to bring new elements to the race for the fans and athletes and to showcase the state of Colorado."

Steve Pomerance, a former city councilman and Camera columnist, has been the most vocal voice raising concerns about the race and about the Flagstaff finish in particular. Members of PLAN-Boulder County and Friends of Boulder Open Space have added their voices.

Pomerance said he's not against the race. He just wants the city to follow its own laws and take appropriate precautions, he said.

City law prohibits competitive events on open space and requires a vote of the Open Space Board of Trustees for the granting of exclusive permits. In response to those concerns, the City Council passed an emergency ordinance waiving the ban on competitive events, even as city officials said the road up Flagstaff was not itself open space.

City Attorney Tom Carr maintained that the race did not have an exclusive permit because anyone can watch the race. The open space board approved a non-exclusive permit earlier this summer.

"This process was handled very poorly," Pomerance said. "If people had thought through the impact of putting thousands of people on Flagstaff, they probably would have made different decisions. The proper way to think about this is to do it in a way that doesn't cause issues."

Connie McDonald, another Boulder cyclist, said she thinks some of the fire concerns are legitimate, but she's not convinced the event threatens open space.

The Flagstaff finish adds extra excitement, McDonald said, but she'll be watching the race in front of Amante Coffee on North Broadway, with an iced coffee in her hand.

Rob Linde, chairman of the Boulder Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the debate is part of "what makes Boulder Boulder."

"The cycling community has really stepped up and supported this race," Linde said. "I think the organizers feel that. There are challenges in any town, and Boulder just has its own challenges."

Linde called it "very important" for the race to hold a stage in Boulder, with its rich cycling history, but he said the selection process also will be very competitive every year.

Kris Thompson of 303Cycling, an online cycling news site, said he's less concerned about the Pro Cycling Challenge not returning to Boulder. Future years won't be as difficult, and Boulder provides a spectacular location. However, the "roadblocks" that have been thrown up might deter other events, especially those that want to pass through open space, he said.

"There has been a lot of buzzkill," he said.

Boulder Mayor Matt Appelbaum said city officials and members of the public had legitimate safety concerns, but he thinks the city has worked well with race organizers. He noted that the race will pass through downtown twice, with numerous street closures and the police and fire departments putting significant resources into the event. The finish on Flagstaff involves a narrow dead-end road on city open space during a summer of high fire danger.

"Given the difficulty of that, the implications of that, I think the city has worked very well with the race people," he said. "There's something good to be said about Boulder, that we're careful about this. It's an important piece of open space, and we're also careful about people's safety. I think the time and the effort will end up being very well spent."

Appelbaum said he hopes the race returns, but he's not concerned that Boulder has mishandled the opportunity.

"If the race organizers say they can go to other communities that will fall all over themselves and let them do anything, well, OK, but that's not Boulder," he said. "This will be much easier the second time around. We've never done anything of this scale in a location like this."

Malcolm Orton, of Boulder, rounds a hairpin corner while cycling May 2 on Flagstaff Road in Boulder. The city has insisted on some restrictions during the USA Pro Cycling Challenge, including limiting the number of spectators on Flagstaff Mountain to 30,000 and asking race organizers to develop an alternative route in case fire danger is high in late August.
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JEREMY PAPASSO
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